British tourists coming to Denmark in droves

With Denmark still trending in the British isles, its tourists are streaming to the land of Hans Christian Andersen and its capital Copenhagen like never before.

British tourists have accounted for the most overnight stays by any foreign tourist group in Copenhagen so far in 2015. Even traditional favourites Norway, Germany and Sweden have been surpassed.

The number of British overnight stays in Denmark has shot up by 50 percent over the past six years, from 477,000 in 2009 to 719,000 last year.

“The British media are crazy about Danish ‘hygge’ and crime series like ‘Forbrydelsen’, ‘Borgen’ and ‘Broen’,” explained Dennis Englund, who is responsible for all UK marketing at Denmark’s tourism agency VisitDenmark.

“The Nordic kitchen, out bicycle culture and design are also big hits, and VisitDenmark has put a lot of effort into developing unique stories about these themes. We have also enhanced our PR efforts, which has resulted in more press trips to Denmark than ever before.”

According to VisitDenmark, the increase is down to a flourishing British economy, the pound being at its strongest for years, and rising wages. There are also improved travel options to Denmark from the UK with almost 300 weekly flights.

Glowing coverage
Denmark’s positive press coverage in the UK is proving invaluable to attracting British tourists across the North Sea.

In recent months, the Telegraph, the Guardian and National Geographic Traveller have provided good tips for visiting Copenhagen, while the Independent has focused on Bornholm and the Sunday Times has documented Denmark’s best beaches from Skagen to north Zealand.

The Times has produced a guide for the best hotels in Scandinavia and the Observer has printed tips for a holiday in north Jutland. Popular commuter newspapers, like the Evening Standard and Metro, and magazines like Good Housekeeping and Red Magazine have all published pieces focused on Denmark.

“I’m convinced that the many tales from Denmark have helped influence the British view of Denmark as a travel destination. And that has led to clear results for Danish tourism,” Englund said.

Germans still way aheadHowever, despite the high number of Brits flooding in, it is mainly Copenhagen they are interested in.

They have a long way to go to match the number of overnights stays made by Germans (13 million) and Norway (2.5 million), most of which are spent on the Jutland coast.